Search Through Community Development Grants in Maine in the U.S.

Foundation Background

The Alleghany Foundation is a private foundation that came about as a result of the sale of a community non-profit hospital to a for-profit hospital. The Alleghany Foundation is a Virginia nonstock corporation exempt from income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is managed by a Board of Directors, all the members of which are residents of the community. The Foundation’s ongoing purpose is to provide financial support that primarily benefits worthy activities in the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia.

Purpose

The Foundation seeks applications in key focus areas with the goal of building upon the region’s wonderful assets to provide dynamic opportunities for all its residents. Proposals should contribute to the Foundation’s strategic areas of focus for grant, including the VISION 2025 Initiative.

Strategic Funding Areas of Interest

The Foundation’s priority is to support proposals from organizations that contribute to the following outcomes:

• Economic Transformation – Harness our region’s strengths to develop a vibrant, diverse and higher-wage economy that can compete in the global marketplace.
• Educational Excellence – Seeks to invest with institutions, such as our local public schools and community college to move our school systems forward from “Good to Great.”
• Health and Wellness – Help the residents of the Alleghany Highlands lead healthier lives and access the comprehensive health care they need.
• Community Capacity – Grow local institutions and organizations with the vision, will, wisdom, and skills to work together to build a more prosperous, equitable, just and sustainable community.
• Leadership and Civic Vitality – Develop broad-based inclusive leadership that can sustain a forward-looking agenda for the community.
• VISION 2025 Initiative – A multi-pronged community-led effort for economic revitalization of the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia that is supported in partnerships with The Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, The Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation, and Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, and made up of the following working groups:
  • Real Estate, Utility Development and Marketing to Expand Industry Base
  • Alleghany Highlands Web Store and Small Business Support
  • Corridor Curb Appeal, Gateway and Main Street Enhancement
  • Community Landscaping and Destination Gardens
  • Alleghany Highlands Industrial Heritage and Technology Discovery Center

GRANTED supports ambitious ideas and innovative strategies to address challenges and inequalities within the research enterprise. The research enterprise is broadly defined and includes administrative support and service infrastructure such as, but not limited to, human capital, research development and administration, research analytics, technology transfer and commercialization, corporate relations/public-private partnerships, research integrity, compliance and security, research policy, administration of student research training, and research leadership. Strengthening this administrative infrastructure supporting research and STEM training is necessary to fully utilize the Nation's talent and capabilities and empower America's organizations that engage in or support research, to participate in a diverse, equitable, and internationally competitive research enterprise.

Program Description

A strong national research enterprise relies on more than funding for the research itself. It also requires robust administrative support and service infrastructure, which is often unseen, yet includes critical components of the research enterprise. This infrastructure enables the development of proposals and management of awards. It supports broader impacts activities through technology transfer, public-private partnerships and community engaged research. Policy and process guides research compliance and enables the security and integrity of the work. Research analytics and communication, managing the training of our scientific workforce, and harnessing the creativity and drive of research leadership, and more, are fundamental components of the infrastructure. Access to, and provisioning of, administrative infrastructure varies significantly among organizations in research, resulting in structural barriers that impede broad participation in the Nation's research and discovery opportunities. Securing global leadership demands we act together to transform the research enterprise to be more resilient, sustainable, equitable, and diverse. The GRANTED initiative provides unique opportunities to realize this vision for research enterprise infrastructure.

Proposals in response to this GRANTED program description should be broadly inclusive and engage the professional, administrative research support and service workforce in project leadership roles described within proposals.Proposed projects should look beyond individual and discipline-specific research needs and focus on activities that create institution/organization-wide impact. Projects that identify nationally scalable models to build and sustain research enterprise infrastructure are strongly encouraged. Competitive proposals will recognize structural challenges and include goals to implement interventions, solutions, and/or strategies that will mitigate the challenges and broaden participation. Proposals must be centered around one or more of the three main themes of GRANTED:

• Enhancing practices and processes within the research enterprise;
• Developing and strengthening human capital within the research enterprise;
• Translating effective practices related to the research enterprise into diverse institutional and organizational contexts through partnerships with professional societies and organizations.

Grant Guidelines and Focus AreasMission StatementThe Jewish Women's Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago seeks to expand and improve opportunities and choices in all aspects of Jewish women and girls' lives through strategic and effective grantmaking. The Jewish Women's Foundation endeavors to empower women as leaders, funders, and decision makers.Overall Considerations

• JWF Chicago funds with a "gender lens" and a "Jewish lens". We are interested in projects that recognize Jewish women and girls have unique needs both because of their gender, and their religious and cultural heritage.
• JWF Chicago is committed to improving the overall status of Jewish women and girls, and funds projects that promote social change by addressing at least one of the indicators described below:
• JWF Chicago considers an organization's holistic support of women and girls, as well as the specific project or program for which you are seeking a grant. This includes the extent to which Jewish women and girls are included among your leadership and in key staff positions.
• JWF Chicago supports organizations through general operating and project specific funding. General operating support will only be awarded to organizations focusing exclusively on promoting social change for Jewish women and girls.

Grantmaking Focus Areas

JWF Chicago funds in four main areas. Prospective grantees are invited to submit project and program proposals that relate to these targeted areas.

Multiyear Grants

Three-year funding open to current JWF Chicago grantees and/or organizations previously funded by JWF Chicago in any of the past three grant cycles (since 2021).

JWF Chicago can award up to three new three-year grants per grant cycle.

JWF Chicago will award:

• up to $20,000 per grant in Year 1
• up to $20,000 per grant in Year 2
• and $15,000 per grant in Year 3

Funding in Year 2 and Year 3 will be contingent on applicant’s progress towards stated benchmarks.

How we decide who receives funds

To decide where funds should go, we consider the organization’s relevance to our Community Promise goals, how the service it offers impacts our community, other support the group receives in the private and public sector, and the community’s general need.

As many typical fundraising avenues disappeared during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been especially proactive in reaching out to partners as vital societal needs have only increased across communities.

We receive so many requests, and every category offers invaluable services and activities. Here’s a quick sample of the kinds of organizations that receive assistance.

Five categories of organizations

Our dedicated Social Responsibility team considers requests from five categories of organizations. We award grants and sponsorships on a rolling, year-round basis in support of the following causes:

Health and Wellness

Community organizations and programs that promote mind, body, and financial wellness align very strongly with our corporate and community values. We sponsor races, sports teams, and other wellness programs and initiatives.

Examples of groups who have received support from us include:

• Hospitals and Community Health Centers
• Nutrition Programs
• United Ways
• Community Action Agencies

Community & Economic Advancement

Community spaces that create access to resources for community members of all walks of life get our attention. We want to empower everyone in the community who has ideas that can help make it better.

Examples of groups who have received support from us include:

• Libraries
• Chambers of Commerce
• Affordable Housing
• Public Transportation

Arts & Culture

A vibrant art scene in our communities drives tourism and commerce and serves a higher purpose – fostering understanding, creating empathy, and moving a community forward. We want to support the arts whenever we can.

Examples of groups who have received support from us include:

• Visual and performing arts programs
• Museums
• Historical Societies
• Theaters

Education & Innovation

Investments in education and youth programs create the future of the community. As parents ourselves, we support youth programs that address food insecurity, technology, wellness, and trauma prevention to help children succeed beyond their dreams.

Examples of groups who have received support from us include:

• Education Foundations
• Literacy Programs
• Leadership Development
• Social Entrepreneurship

Environment & Animal Welfare

We all deserve a healthy environment to live in and enjoy, our furry friends included. We work with land trusts, animal shelters, animal agencies and more to make that happen.

Examples of groups who have received support from us include:

• Land Trusts
• Marine Resource Conservation
• Animal Welfare and Rescue

Mission & Values

Life Comes From It is a first of its kind grantmaking circle where decisions over funding are made by people heavily steeped in restorative justice, transformative justice and indigenous peacemaking. We seek to grow the movement for adopting restorative, transformative, and peacemaking practices throughout our society. We have come together around a shared vision of addressing harm through community solutions, without reliance on incarceration and punitive systems.

We aim to strengthen the foundation of restorative, transformative, and peacemaking practices led by people of color.

Our Mission

Life Comes From It is a grantmaking circle. We support grassroots movement-building work rooted in lived experience and relationships for restorative justice, transformative justice, and indigenous peacemaking.

Funding Values & Criteria

We aim to support projects, organizations and collaborations that embody these values:

• Commitment to working towards replacing criminalization and incarceration with alternative approaches to address violence and repair harm rooted in community solutions
• Prioritizing peacemaking development and indigenous initiatives led by Native people
• Rooting the work in the community’s own culture(s), language(s), place(s), faith(s), and belief system(s) so it reflects the people that engage in it
• Guided by the wisdom of people, families and communities of color
• Commitment to anti-oppression practices
• Supporting the creation of new thinking and language that is holistic, intersectional, interdependent, and liberatory
• Promoting and sustaining collective leadership, collaboration and partnership
• Living the values of the work internally and externally to build community and heal harm within and against communities
• Intergenerational inclusivity - people of all generations: youth, adults, elders are encouraged to apply​

The Four Fields

• Restorative Justice
• Transformative Justice
• Indigenous Peacemaking
• Land Based Projects 

What we Believe

• We believe that human relations can replace the work of institutions.
• ​We are invested in shifting power.
• ​We believe in doing no harm – not further victimizing people who have been victimized in the search for funding. We seek to keep an open door relationship with those who look for funding.
• ​We believe in interdependence and creating a culture where we do not pit one against another.
• ​We strive to build connections between restorative justice, transformative justice, indigenous peacemaking, and "justice, healing and soil."
• ​We hold an intersectional lens
• ​We emphasize the underlying spirit and values of the work rather than the categories we use to define our work. 
• ​Our vision is rooted in lived experience – as community activists, formerly incarcerated people, crime survivors, indigenous persons, and people of color— and has led us to 115 years of experience in restorative justice, transformative justice and indigenous peacebuilding.

Our Work: Religion

A primary aim in religion is to deepen and enrich the religious lives of Christians in the United States, principally by supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations. We value the broad diversity of Christian traditions and congregations today and endeavor to support them in a wide variety of contexts. We seek to ensure that all types of congregations have a steady stream of wise, faithful, diverse and well-prepared leaders. We work to strengthen theological schools as well as religious institutions and networks that nurture pastors and support the ministries of congregations. We support efforts that help Christians draw on the wisdom of their theological traditions as they strive to understand and respond to contemporary challenges and live their faith more fully. We are especially interested in efforts that nurture the religious lives of children, youth and young adults and share the beauty and vibrancy of Christian faith with a new generation.We also work to foster public understanding about religion. While we seek to lift up the contributions that people of all religious faiths make to our greater civic well-being, we also encourage fair and accurate portrayals of both the negative and positive effects of religion on the world.

Areas of Interest

We consider proposals in three main program areas: community development, education and youth, and religion. Detailed descriptions of these area of interest can be found here.

Our community commitment

From our corporate headquarters in Indianapolis, we’ve grown into a national provider of insurance and financial services with offices in California, Maine and beyond. We’re committed to making a difference in people’s lives and the communities we serve.

Helping others is at our core. Making commitments that matter. Our vision to improve the quality of life in our communities, which are stronger because of our support and volunteer efforts. Here are some of the ways we are making an impact:

• Education & workforce development
  • Being there for our community means leading education efforts and workforce development for future success. OneAmerica Financial invests in both education and workforce development because we understand how critical it is to have both.
• Safety, wellness & success
  • Being there for you means working to keep our communities healthy and safe. We support our neighbors and those in need through disaster relief, feeding the hungry, the homeless and by providing essential needs and services through United Way agencies.
• Community vibrancy & civic causes
  • Being there for our vibrant communities can be seen through our efforts to support arts & culture, such as our long-standing involvement with the Broadripple Art Fair, 500 Festival Mini Marathon and the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT).

Community grants

The OneAmerica Financial Foundation is a nonprofit, private foundation dedicated to investing in the well-being of communities through strategic philanthropy. Rooted in a long-standing tradition of service, the Foundation’s charitable reach begins in the heart of Indianapolis and extends to communities across the country.

By investing in meaningful change, the Foundation aims to transform lives and create shared success—supporting those who build stronger, more resilient communities for generations to come.

• Education (primarily K-12, early childhood and at-risk populations)
• Workforce development efforts to increase employment and develop talent locally
• Community safety, wellness and success that provide support for basic community needs
• Arts and cultural experiences that add to the vibrancy of the community
• Civic initiatives that strengthen our communities

Parkinson Family Foundation Grant

The Parkinson Family Foundation chooses to pursue its mission by concentrating on three main areas of focus: Food & Water, Faith & Evangelism, and Health & Humanitarian Efforts. The Foundation also recognizes the power and potential in education & community outreach and may be able to engage in grantmaking in these areas, though such efforts will be very targeted. 

Admittedly, there is a good deal of overlap in all these areas and a tremendous amount of philanthropic and charitable activity is covered. Therefore, the Foundation must be extremely selective in choosing with which organizations it will partner. Those groups with whom the Foundation has been able to develop a relationship will often receive greater consideration.

Declinations are not a slight, but a sign of the tremendous need worldwide and a result of determined priority for the Foundation, its members and its particular efforts in light of very limited resources. What drives our mission is the Greatest Commandment, but it does not limit our consideration of organizations that are not faith-based.

Funding

Grants may range from $1,000 up to around $5,000. In unique circumstances, the Foundation does consider a more significant grant for a program having a major impact in one or more of our areas of interest, however these would be grantees with whom we have already partnered. First-time requests exceeding $10,000 will be automatically declined, as this will show us that those applicants did not bother to review the specifics of our foundation. We defer to the expertise of the applicants to educate us on the funding needed to run a successful program and how they expect to raise those required funds.

Applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, with a focus on outcomes and impact. The request amount must reflect the effectiveness of the proposed program and consider the specific needs and challenges of the communities involved, as well as the foundation's goals, guidelines and limited resources. The Foundation does not, generally, fund 100% of a program or organization. The foundation generally will not approve a grant for more than a three-year commitment. The vast majority of our funding is for one-year commitments.

What We Support

The Rauch Foundation takes an entrepreneurial approach to promoting change by investing in areas where we can have a fundamental impact.

Our mission has two main priorities:

• To promote a healthy planet through research into global food systems.
• To promote the financial preparedness of rising generations of students by supporting schools in the delivery of financial literacy programs

Building on the Rauch Foundation’s long history of providing evidence-based research and data to inform policy, our work in food systems is centered on exploring the nexus between the food we consume and the systems involved in its financing, sourcing, production and delivery. Using the island of Poros, Greece and its efforts to stop the expansion of open net pen industrial fish farming as a case study, we have been laying out a case for how global, national, and regional actions can impact the health of a community, its economy, and the local environment.

Our school-based work in financial literacy acknowledges growing national support for a curriculum that helps young people develop the skills to navigate a successful future for themselves and their families.

Working for systemic change.

The Rauch Foundation invests in ideas and organizations that spark positive systemic change.

We are not afraid of controversial ideas, original approaches, or new ways to tackle old problems. However, we do look for sound data, leadership, other grant partners, strong management skills, and a focus on evidence-based outcomes. Once we invest in the work of an organization, our involvement may include a long-term partnership or assistance with capacity building and leadership.

We are committed to partnering with nonprofits and NGOs, the private sector, labor, research institutions, universities, the media, and other funders to help achieve shared goals and work through common issues.

About Us

The Skees Family Foundation, a 501(c)3 private charitable foundation, works with nonprofits (NPOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) serving families in need around the world.

The Skees Family Foundation — family helping families — extends self-help to youth and families to end poverty worldwide. We support organizations in the U.S., Africa, Asia, Central and South America, India, and the Pacific to promote job creation and economic development. We value love in action to create equal opportunity for all. And as a diverse multigenerational group with limited time and funds, we believe that we — and you — can change the world for good.

Mission

Skees Family Foundation works to end global poverty by partnering with community-based organizations to create fulfilling jobs and build job readiness through vocational or entrepreneurial training.

Vision

Skees Family Foundation envisions a world in which every person has the opportunity to lead a self-determined, prosperous life.

Values

Equality. Respect. Trust. Solidarity. Boldness. Innovation. Hope.

Motivation

We wish to reach out in love and respect, to share our time and resources and to learn from other families’ resilience in the face of poverty and adversity. We hope, in whatever small and large ways we can, to advance the freedom, safety, health, and happiness of other families.

Goal

Opportunity for all.

Mission-Aligned Grantmaking

Our mission-aligned grants are focused on organizations whose primary work is outside of the United States. We do this for two reasons:

• Given our relatively small grantmaking budget, funding international programs allows each dollar to go further than it would in the U.S, enabling our foundation to have greater impact with our limited resources.
• We support organizations without geographic limitations through our discretionary board and family grants, both in the U.S. and abroad, that our family members are connected to and passionate about.

These grants are typically distributed every three years, and go out at the start of the new year.

Seed Grants

Seed Grants are two- to three-year grants with increasing amounts each year: $2,500 year one, $5,000 year two, and $7,500 year three, if the organization’s self-determined benchmarks are met after year one and year two. These partners are in their “start-up” phase. Eligibility for this seed funding is generally available only to organizations with an annual budget of $250,000 or less, in order to ensure that the funds have a significant effect on the budgets of selected organizations.

We encourage our Seed Grantees to use these grants for internal capacity building, but we do not place formal restrictions on the funding. By fostering the growth of small organizations that align with our mission, Seed Grants enable our foundation to support and work with social entrepreneurs building early-stage ventures.

Mission Statement

Town Fair Tire Foundation, Inc. (“TFTF”) is a private, not-for-profit philanthropic organization established by Neil Mellen in 2000. The mission of TFTF is to financially support entities and institutions that help people in need of social, health, welfare, educational and other human services throughout New England - Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island – and beyond.

The Town Fair Tire Foundation is dedicated to helping create and sustain vibrant and healthy communities, families and individuals. To accomplish this purpose, TFTF invests in community-based organizations that promote self-reliance, economic and social advancement, and improved quality of life. The Town Fair Tire Foundation is especially committed to helping individuals and families who struggle daily with the effects of poverty.

An essential theme underlying the Town Fair Tire Foundation’s approach to giving is to “pay-it-forward” -- respectfully asking those who benefit from grants to pay the kindness forward to others in need. TFTF’s ultimate objective and mission is to promote positive change in the lives of those less fortunate to an exponential degree.

The Town Fair Tire Foundation performs its mission by funding proven or unique approaches from not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organizations.

What We Do

Town Fair Tire Foundation, Inc. (TFTF) is dedicated to helping create and sustain vibrant and healthy communities, families and individuals. To accomplish this purpose, TFTF invests in local community-based organizations that promote self-reliance, economic and social advancement and improved quality of life. 

TFTF is committed to helping individuals and families who struggle daily with the effects of poverty. Our initiatives are highly grassroots in nature, with the goal of giving back to the local and community levels.

TFTF’s ultimate objective is to promote positive change in the lives of those less fortunate and create greater societal good through the thousands of organizations we support across the region.

An essential theme underlying Town Fair Tire Foundation’s approach to giving is to pay it forward - respectfully asking those who benefit from grants to pay the kindness forward to others in need when they are able.

About UFAW

The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) is an independent registered charity that works with the animal welfare science community worldwide to develop and promote improvements in the welfare of animals through scientific and educational activity.

UFAW has long promoted and supported a scientific approach aimed at finding ways to gain insight into what matters to animals, assessing their welfare and improving the quality of their lives through practical developments in all aspects of their care.

Purpose

UFAW’s purpose is to support science which is in the service of animal welfare. We fund research and other activities which help to understand and/or ameliorate challenges to the welfare of animals. We are interested in the welfare of all animal species where they are affected by humankind including farm, zoo, companion, laboratory and wild or feral animals.

UFAW is concerned with the welfare of animals when it is affected by humankind, so work which reduces animal suffering whilst also addressing conservation issues may be supported but a clear case for how the work benefits animal welfare must be made.  

Small Research Grants

UFAW is concerned with the welfare of farm, companion, laboratory, captive wild animals, and with free-living wild animals whose welfare is compromised by humans. 

Through our Small Research Grants, UFAW supports smaller research projects (up to £5,000) for the benefit of animal welfare.  Animal welfare must be the main focus.

Who We Are

World Land Trust (WLT) is an international conservation charity that protects the world’s most biologically significant and threatened habitats.

Working through a network of partner organisations around the world, WLT funds the creation of reserves and provides permanent protection for habitats and wildlife. Partnerships are developed with established and highly respected local organisations who engage support and commitment among the local community.

Mission

Helping people across the world protect and restore their land to safeguard biodiversity and the climate.

The Type of Projects Supported By WLT

WLT funding aims to create long-term and sustainable support for on-the-ground conservation activities, including land acquisition, protected area creation, reserve protection and ecosystem restoration. WLT prioritises supporting projects in countries with high levels of biodiversity and which have the fewest resources available for biodiversity protection – consequently we mainly support organisations based in the Global South.

The main project activities supported by WLT are the creation of protected areas and the protection and restoration of threatened habitats. Project activities may include land acquisition through a range of mechanisms including land purchases, leases, conservation easements, community reserves the legal declaration of protected areas (gazetting).

WLT’s core focus is on bringing new areas of land into conservation protection, but we also support activities that support this core objective including habitat protection (e.g. rangers and patrols), habitat restoration, community activities that are essential for the success of new areas, research and monitoring, and income generation activities that support the financial sustainability of newly created areas or organisations. These latter activities are unlikely to be funded on their own and would only be considered if they are part of a wider conservation project with the creation or expansion of reserves as the main objective.

All WLT funded projects need to have clear benefits, and no net negative impact to biodiversity, communities and the climate.

The Mosaic Company Foundation

Our mission is to help the world grow the food it needs

Doing our part to support global initiatives and local needs within the areas where we live and work is something we are passionate about. We continually strive to make a positive impact in our communities around the world by partnering with organizations and supporting initiatives that can help improve quality of life. The Mosaic Company, The Mosaic Company Foundation and The Mosaic Institute in Brazil are making investments to help feed the hungry, protect our critical natural resources, support education, health and culture, and much more. Annually, we contribute about $12 million through philanthropic funding, employee engagement and in-kind donations.

Mosaic Company Foundation Community Investment Grant

We are proud to support organizations and initiatives that create growth and leave a lasting impact in our communities in three main focus areas: Food, Water and Local Community. Each year, we invest an average of $12 million.

Food

To feed a growing global population, food production will have to double by 2050. This is a daunting challenge considering that today one billion people go to bed hungry each night. We seek to address these issues by concentrating on the following funding areas:

• Hunger: food insecurity and food system development in local communities where we have facilities and offices.
• Global Agricultural Development: addressing global food security through development programs focused on smallholder farmers in developing nations where we have key stakeholders.
• Agricultural Education: research, education and extension programs primarily focused on soil health and balanced nutrition and increasing the capacity of farmers to grow more food sustainably.

Water

Water is the greatest limiting factor to growing more food. By 2030, it is estimated that the world will experience a 30 percent shortfall in freshwater supply at current consumption rates. We seek to address water conservation by concentrating on the following funding areas:

• Habitat Conservation: conserving resources and encouraging stewardship of the environment, including biodiversity and habitat protection where we have facilities and offices
• Nutrient Stewardship: nutrient stewardship and ecosystem management programs that promote sustainable agriculture and best management practices in watersheds where we have facilities, offices, and other key stakeholder relationships
• Watershed Restoration: preservation and restoration in regions where we have facilities and offices

Local

Our local communities are our homes, and we have a vested interest in their sustainability. We understand that for Mosaic to prosper, our communities must also. Mosaic strives to make investments that will protect and enhance the long-term quality of life in our communities for ourselves, our families and our neighbors. We concentrate funding in the following areas:

• Philanthropic and Civic: partnerships that enrich the long-term strength of communities in which Mosaic has offices and operations
• Operating Communities: Organizations located near Mosaic operations and/or where our employees live.

We must matter more in our communities.

We contribute to the strength and health of our communities through the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation and Corporate Giving. Together the Bank and its Foundation invested more than $2 million into the community in the form of nonprofit sponsorships, grants and partnership initiatives last year.

Making a significant and meaningful difference:

The Bangor Savings Bank Foundation's role is to focus philanthropic efforts on initiatives that will make our communities more prosperous, more livable, and more vibrant. With a growing endowment and strong support from the Bank, the Foundation is poised to truly impact its focus areas in workforce and economic development.

Grant Guidelines

The Foundation considers applications for grants ranging from $2,000 up to $25,000. For all proposals received, we have a preference to support projects and initiatives that do the following:

• Include a strategy for leveraging other resources and support.
• Produce cost-effective results which can be measured and evaluated.
• Provide incentive for the private and public sectors to work together in community problem solving.
• Encourage coordination with other efforts and do not duplicate programs in the community.
• Advance innovative and long-term strategies that will address recognized needs.
• Demonstrate an ability to obtain future funding if it will be needed.

Areas of Giving

Priority Giving

The Foundation focuses its philanthropic efforts on improving the vitality of Northern New England's regional and statewide economies through economic and workforce development in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

Additional Areas of Giving

While our primary outreach and resources will be dedicated to the priority areas listed above, in recognition of the many needs in our communities, the Foundation will continue to lend support to applications in the following areas:

• Education
• Initiatives that raise student readiness, academic success, achievement and aspirations at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels, including but not limited to STEM education initiatives.  
• Social and Civic Services
• Activities directed at improving quality of life in the communities we serve.
• Culture and Arts
• Initiatives supporting organizations that meet community needs, expand arts and cultural programming, or provide education.
• Health and Wellness
• Programs essential to the underlying medical care of a community, including initiatives focusing on physical and mental health and wellness for people of all ages. 

Roy A. Hunt Foundation

In the early 1900s, Roy A. Hunt worked his way up from mill clerk to president of Alcoa, the company his father helped found. After establishing The Hunt Foundation in 1951, he established the Roy A. Hunt Foundation in 1966 as an endowed resource so that future generations could be involved in charitable giving as a family. (The foundations merged in 1994).

Two generations of Hunt family members now serve as Trustees, annually granting approximately $3.4 million in the United States and abroad.

Since inception, our mission has been to support organizations that strive to improve the quality of life through proposals invited by the trustees and through the Foundation’s four main special initiatives. The Roy A. Hunt Foundation values the quality work of its partner organizations, strives to make an impact in many facets of the community – from building stronger networks for healthy, thriving neighborhoods to working toward a greener, cleaner environment – and believes in the importance of strong leadership, community-driven partnerships, and innovative ideas.

Environment

Vision: Living in Harmony

We envision a natural environment that is understood and respected as a web of interconnections of which human beings are a part, where people live in harmony within the Earth’s ecological systems, where biodiversity is preserved as an integral component of economic and technological progress, and where human impact on Earth serves to maintain sustainable processes.

Mission

To protect natural resources and ecosystems in the United States, we support sustainable solutions to altering root causes of environmental damage and encourage education for consumers and decision makers.

Objective

To promote strategic activities that create incentives for environmentally responsible decisions in the private sector.

Priorities

Climate and Energy – To reduce the consequences of climate change in the United States, primarily through:

• Increasing the affordability and use of cleaner and renewable energy sources, and
• Reducing demand for carbon-intensive energy sources and carbon-intensive goods and services

Toxics and Waste – To reduce damage to the environment and human health caused by the manufacture, use, and disposal of consumer and industrial products. Typical strategies include green chemistry, sustainable design, sustainable manufacturing, and product stewardship.

Clean Water – To protect and restore the quality of freshwater, coastal, and nearby oceanic areas of the United States.

Types of Foundation Support

The Environment Committee will consider grant requests of between $25,000 and $75,000 for specific projects or programs that improve the environment at a multi-state, national, and/or systems level. Typical costs funded include project management, contracted services, education and outreach programs, applied research, and innovations that could lead to public policy solutions.

About The Award

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund aims to stimulate the growth of new connections between thinkers working in largely disconnected fields who might together change the course of climate change’s impact on human health. In the three years between Fall 2023 and Summer 2026, we will dedicate $1M to supporting small, early stage grants of $2,500–$50,000 toward achieving this goal.

We are mainly but not exclusively interested in activities that build connections between basic/early biomedical scientific approaches and ecological, environmental, geological, geographic, and planetary-scale thinking, as well as with population-focused fields, including epidemiology and public health, demography, economics, and urban planning. Also of interest is work piloting new approaches or interactions toward reducing the impact of health-centered activities, such as developing more sustainable systems for health care, care delivery, and biomedical research systems.

Another area of interest is preparation for the impacts of extreme weather and other crises that can drive large-scale disruptions that will immediately impact human health and the delivery of health care. Public outreach, climate communication, and education efforts focused on the intersection of climate and health are also appropriate for this call. This program supports work conceived through many kinds of creative thinking. Successful applicants include academic scientists, physicians, and public health experts, community organizations, science outreach centers, non-biomedical academic departments, and more.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is a California-based foundation with roots in amateur radio and the technology of internet communication. Our mission is to support, promote, and enhance digital communication and broader communication science and technology, to promote amateur radio, scientific research, experimentation, education, development, open access, and innovation in information and communication technology.

Grantmaking Categories

• Support and growth of amateur radio. Grants in this category are core to our mission. We make grants to clubs for all types of projects, including licensing classes, continuing education, repeater infrastructure, and certain emergency communications projects that expand interest and access to amateur radio.
  • Examples:  Make Operating Radio Easier (MORE), CVARC Serves Its Community and Promotes Amateur Radio, Bridgerland ARC: Engaging and Educating Youth in Amateur Radio
• Education. Grants in this category include scholarships, as well as projects that aim to educate or mentor individuals, such as K-12 school programs and programs aimed at under-served groups. We are primarily interested in STEAM programs that are linked to amateur radio, wireless technology, or digital communications.
  • Examples:  West Bend Public Library, Walters State Community College (WSCC), South Eugene High School
• Research and development.  Projects in this category are projects that are advancing the state of the art in amateur radio and communication science and technology.
  • Examples: Rhizomatica: Digital HF Telecommunications for Civil and Amateur Uses, Tangerine SDR

Grantmaking Goals

ARDC makes grants to programs and organizations that aim to advance our mission and vision to create:

A thriving global community of learners, experimenters, and contributors advancing freedom with open source communication and information technology.

ARDC’s strategic approach to achieving this vision involves three main goals:

• Promoting learning: getting more people learning about amateur radio (AR) and digital communications (DC).
• Promoting experimenting: getting more people experimenting, innovating, and developing technology (in the context of AR and DC).
• Promoting doing: getting more people using new technology productively on more (and newer) bands, modes, and technologies (and other dimensions) within the context of AR and DC.

As we evaluate opportunities for our grantmaking and other program activities, we will be reviewing them based on their ability to meet the above objectives and, overall, help to manifest our vision.

Please review our vision and strategy pages for more detailed information.

Open Access Requirement

Because ARDC works with and for the public, we require that the work of the projects we fund be freely available to everyone who can benefit and to everyone who can contribute. Thus, all technology, documentation, and other materials produced using ARDC funds must be made freely available to the public, ideally using one of the below open source licenses:

• Software: GPL licenses (esp. AGPLv3), MIT, BSD, LGPL
• Hardware: CERN Open Hardware License
• Media, writing, images etc.: Free Culture subset of the Creative Commons licenses, particularly CC-BY-SA, as well as CC-BY and CC0

What We Do: Our Mission

Our goal is to improve the lives of our neighbors by partnering with local 501(c)(3) organizations to fund grants for three purposes: education, healthcare, and housing. As a private foundation we enjoy the flexibility of working with all kinds of organizations, especially local nonprofits in the early stages of development. Grants are awarded for a one year period and require a follow-up process to measure results. Multi-year grants are considered on a case-by-case basis and are subject to ongoing evaluation.

Where We Work: Our Neighbors

We have board members located in each of the four geographic areas we serve. Not only does this make our grant process more efficient, we love seeing first hand the impact that each grant recipient has on our own communities. We fund projects in the Raleigh metro and north-eastern areas of North Carolina; Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, New York; and, the communities surrounding central Maine.

What We’ve Done: Our Legacy

Since our founding, we have had the privilege to fund over 300 grants totaling over 3 million dollars. We typically award 15 grants per year, ranging from $500 – $15,000 each. We have partnered with over 100 nonprofits to fund projects such as school-readiness classes for children from non-English speaking families; a free dental clinic for rural communities with little access to dental care; and, remodeling a shelter that provides services to help transition homeless men to find gainful employment and traditional living arrangements.

Consumer Financial Education Fund

The Consumer Financial Education Fund supports projects that relate to consumer financial education, with an emphasis on issues related to just and equitable banking, basic banking, financial literacy, access to financial services, retail banking accounts, and underbanked and/or vulnerable populations. 

Funding

It is expected that most proposals will be for 12-month grant periods; however, multi-year proposals are encouraged where appropriate. The maximum grant amount is $100,000, even for multi-year proposals.

Grant Guidelines

For application-based grants, the Betterment fund’s minimum annual grant is $10,000. The maximum annual grant usually does not exceed $35,000. The average annual grant, whether for multiple years or a single year, is $15,000-$20,000. Three years is the maximum period of time the Betterment Fund will consider for a multi-year grant. The largest grants tend to be made to applicants with a successful history of grant management with the Betterment Fund

Current Grant Priorities

Education, health, conservation and community support are our primary grant categories. We also recognize that certain projects transcend these categories and have defined a number of “cross-sector” areas.

Community Support

We favor community-wide programs or regional systemic approaches to issues to improve well-being within the following current priority areas:

• Downtowns
• Basic Human Needs:
• Legal Protections

Proposals less likely to be funded include individual school programs, programming supplementary to the curricula of schools, and construction projects. Any funding of scholarships at Maine colleges and universities is done only at the initiative of the trustees rather than in response to grant requests.

Education

We believe that every Maine resident is entitled to an education which equips the individual to lead a satisfying, productive and economically independent life, and we are interested in funding broad-based educational policy initiatives to that end. Please see “Health” and the Cross-Sector areas of “Early Childhood” and “Economic Development” for initiatives related to education in those areas. More particularly we fund:

• Educational Quality
• Adult Education
• Arts Education
• Higher Education Aspirations

Proposals less likely to be funded include individual school programs, programming supplementary to the curricula of schools, and construction projects.

Conservation

Perpetuating a balanced, dynamic relationship between the natural and built environments in the three-million-acre corridor between the White Mountain National Forest and the Moosehead Lake region is of particular interest. To that end we sponsor the following initiatives within the extensive and varied landscape which covers most of Oxford, Franklin and Somerset counties:

• Preservation of special places, particularly those identified by the local communities, along the spine of the Appalachian Trail and in the Maine West and High Peaks Regions.
• Support of the responsible development of working forests and agriculture.
• Preservation and restoration of threatened natural habitats.
• Opportunities for traditional Maine recreation in the target region.
• Support of water quality preservation of lakes, rivers and ponds.

Occasionally we may fund projects of land trusts and environmental organizations located in the other rim counties, but we focus primarily on the Western Maine counties listed above.

Health

We are currently focusing our Health grants in the following areas:

• Maine Public Health Policy
• Oral Health
• Increasing Educational Opportunities for Health Careers
• Community Health Projects
• Substance Use Disorder

Please note that projects focused primarily on physical activity and healthy eating should be submitted under our cross-sector “Moving Communities to Health.”

Proposals that are not as likely to be funded include medical research, projects relating to a single disease, actual delivery of medical treatment and capital construction or equipment purchases

Cross-Sector Areas

We have identified these areas as being particularly susceptible to consideration under more than one of our traditional priority categories.

Economic Development

We recognize that the expansion of Maine’s economy will advance other areas of Betterment Fund concern. We particularly support the following programs:

• Entrepreneurship
  • Programs that promote scalable entrepreneurship, particularly in rural areas.
  • Areas of particular interest include women- and minority-owned businesses and improved coordination of existing entrepreneurship and economic development efforts, including with educational initiatives.
  • The development of careers and businesses in the trades is also of interest.
• Agricultural Capacity
  • Improvements to the competitiveness and long-term viability of Maine farms and farmers by providing technical support and improving access to distribution and markets.
• Tourism
  • Promotion and development of quality tourism as an engine for economic opportunity in the mountain and forest regions, with particular preference for the Western Mountains region.
• Broadband
  • Support of planning and implementation projects to increase access to broadband in local communities of Oxford, Franklin, Somerset, and northern Cumberland Counties, conditioned upon local municipal and/or nonprofit community entities’ commitment of resources to such projects.

Creative Economy

The Betterment Fund is primarily interested in regional and statewide strategies promoting the economic enhancement of communities through arts and culture.

Early Childhood

The Betterment Fund has prioritized improvement of the education, health, and general well-being of Maine’s youngest children, from before birth through preschool age. Our focus in this area is funding the development of best practices for the physical, mental, and psychosocial health and development of young children. We support policy work that leads to the adoption of state or federal policies to achieve these outcomes and the establishment and maintenance of the broad infrastructure to carry out this work. We also are interested in the development of an economically viable and accessible system of childcare for working families. We are unlikely to make grants to individual school or childcare center programs.

Moving Communities to Health

Of interest are community-scale initiatives taking advantage of natural and other qualities inherent in the community’s locale and promoting the participation of its residents in active recreation and other activities (such as healthy eating) conducive to healthy lifestyles and prevention of illness. Essential elements of this priority include:

• A demonstrated connection to individuals’ physical and/or mental health; and
• Initiation by and for the residents of an identified geographic-based community (as opposed to individuals with common interests or attributes drawn from more disparate geographic areas).

Philanthropy

The Betterment Fund embraces opportunities to collaborate with other state-wide philanthropic organizations that seek to improve grant-making and support charitable activities in Maine. In addition to making grants, the Betterment Fund supports and participates in a number of funder groups around specific issues.

About

The New Music Organization Fund offers grants to non-profit organizations, performance groups, dance organizations, festivals, presenters, and venues that need support to sustain their programming of new music, nurturing of music creators, and other artists. This program is for outstanding organizations that work regularly with and support the development of music creators and artists and offer crucial resources to their community.  The main criteria for this fund are: 

• Artistry of applicant organization and/or supported artists. 
• Impact on the community of artists and/or audiences served. 
• Need for funding now.  
• The organization’s commitment to inclusion and belonging.  

Our Mission 

The Green Family Foundation believes societies flourish when enriched with access to the arts, culture, education, and healthcare. We accomplish this by supporting grassroots initiatives and sustainable programs that foster thriving communities through prevention, education, and meaningful care.

Funding Priorities

At the Green Family Foundation, we believe in the power of community-driven solutions to create lasting change.

Our mission is to foster thriving societies enriched by access to the arts, culture, education, and healthcare. To achieve this, we partner with organizations that share our vision of building sustainable and inclusive communities.

We are proud to fund initiatives that prioritize equity, innovation, and collaboration in four key areas: Global Health and Development, Community Empowerment, The Arts, and Education and Leadership Development. These funding priorities reflect our commitment to addressing systemic barriers, amplifying historically excluded voices, and creating opportunities for individuals and communities to flourish.

We encourage grantseekers to review our four funding priorities thoroughly and ensure their proposed projects align with our mission. We are particularly interested in programs that demonstrate measurable impact, sustainability, and community-centered approaches.:

Global Health & Development:

The Green Family Foundation funds initiatives that address poverty by bridging gaps in education, healthcare, job access, and community engagement. We support holistic, sustainable programs that empower diverse communities to achieve long-term self-sufficiency. Priority is given to projects that provide equitable access to essential healthcare, deliver education and training, conduct community-led research, and implement sustainable development practices.

Community Empowerment:

From teaching digital skills to promoting civic participation, the Green Family Foundation invests in initiatives that strengthen community capacity, build social cohesion, and empower individuals to shape their futures.We support programs that equip individuals and communities with the tools, skills, and knowledge to drive meaningful change. Our focus areas include:

• Access to technology and digital literacy training
• Community-based advocacy and civic engagement
• Programs that amplify historically excluded voices and foster social equity

The Arts:

The Green Family Foundation champions programs that use the arts to inspire. We fund initiatives that encourage individuals to creatively express their ideas, explore their identities, and engage with their communities in positive and impactful ways.These programs should prioritize accessibility, skill-building, and personal development, offering individuals an opportunity to gain confidence, develop their talents, and envision successful futures through creative exploration.

Education and Leadership Development: 

By broadening horizons and nurturing leadership potential, the Green Family Foundation invests in the next generation of changemakers. We support educational programs that challenge young people to think critically, explore diverse perspectives, and expand their understanding of social issues, health equity, governance, and effective communication. Priority is given to initiatives that:

• Encourage young people to develop leadership skills
• Foster cross-cultural understanding and collaboration
• Empower young people to become informed and engaged citizens

Grant Size

Typical grants range from $1,500 - $30,000.

Grant Guidelines and Focus AreasMission StatementThe Jewish Women's Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago seeks to expand and improve opportunities and choices in all aspects of Jewish women and girls' lives through strategic and effective grantmaking. The Jewish Women's Foundation endeavors to empower women as leaders, funders, and decision makers.Overall Considerations

• JWF Chicago funds with a "gender lens" and a "Jewish lens". We are interested in projects that recognize Jewish women and girls have unique needs both because of their gender, and their religious and cultural heritage.
• JWF Chicago is committed to improving the overall status of Jewish women and girls, and funds projects that promote social change by addressing at least one of the indicators described below:
• JWF Chicago considers an organization's holistic support of women and girls, as well as the specific project or program for which you are seeking a grant. This includes the extent to which Jewish women and girls are included among your leadership and in key staff positions.
• JWF Chicago supports organizations through general operating and project specific funding. General operating support will only be awarded to organizations focusing exclusively on promoting social change for Jewish women and girls.

Grantmaking Focus Areas

JWF Chicago funds in four main areas. Prospective grantees are invited to submit project and program proposals that relate to these targeted areas.

Annual Grants

One-year funding open to all applicants that meet JWF Chicago’s overall eligibility requirements as described below.

• There is no predetermined number of Annual Grants.
• JWF Chicago considers organizations for funding on a year-to-year basis.
• Previous funding does not guarantee continued funding.
• The minimum Annual Grant award is $15,000. There is no maximum grant amount.
• The average Annual Grant ranges between $20,000-$25,000.

Background

We support non-profit organizations committed to making an impact in addressing environmental problems, engaging in conservation and resource protections, and tackling social concerns. Through these small and mid-scale grants, we aim to support like-minded organizations with missions that align with the work of the Wright-Ingraham Institute. The Wright-Ingraham Institute has been awarding grants since 2012. In that time, we have awarded more than $400,000 to over 65 organizations.

Focus Areas

Our grants are designed to help address problems in three main areas.

Climate Change

Today, efforts to cope with the climate crisis are estimated to be costing the global economy approximately $3 trillion annually. We support organizations that are actively solving problems of how to bring clean air and water to global communities, how to prevent or stem natural disasters and meteorological events, and how to best promote sustainable practices and support renewable sources of energy.

Land Issues

Our grants strengthen organizations that are looking at different ways to apply concepts of sustainability, including ways to reverse the loss of fragile ecosystems that connect people and animals with land, or that work at the nexus of food, fuel and shelter. Additionally, we seek to better understand how human systems and natural systems intersect one another.

Wildlife Conservation

We support organizations that are working courageously on ways to conserve and preserve important wildlife habitats, as globalization continues to seek to develop every corner of the globe.

Elizabeth Wright Ingraham Grant

The Elizabeth Wright Ingraham Grant is dedicated to the founder of the Wright-Ingraham Institute. This grant is awarded to an organization exploring how human systems interact with natural systems, for example, how to create living spaces that utilize land responsibly.

Amount: $10,000

What is Zendesk Tech for Good?

At Zendesk, we believe that technology can change lives — especially for our most vulnerable populations. That’s why the Zendesk Tech for Good program partners with over 110 nonprofits across the globe to give them free Zendesk software, grants, and pro bono support, empowering more organizations to leverage technology and serve more people. 

Tech for Good has two main goals: 

• Provide nonprofits with Zendesk software and grants to help them serve more people and create more impact among vulnerable populations;
• Partner with nonprofits that provide workforce development training for careers in customer experience (CX) to historically marginalized and underrepresented groups

We’re looking for organizations or projects that seek to make a tangible difference in one of the Zendesk Foundation’s impact areas:

• Foster community - enable connections that offer support and allow people to thrive;
• Promote resilience in a time of crisis - safeguard against disaster and reduce human suffering;
• Create career pathways into tech - close the economic opportunity gap and reduce unemployment.

The Zendesk Impact Awards are open to nonprofit organizations that would like to use Zendesk software to directly serve beneficiary communities. 

Applicants may also provide workforce development programming and display an interest in Zendesk’s Career Pathways Program. Applicants are invited to describe how their organization or project fits into these areas within the application. 

Organizations should display some ability to adopt new technology in order to receive Zendesk software, meaning your organization previously has or is currently willing to invest in technology platform solutions to improve services to beneficiary communities. Most organizations will need to be prepared to self-install and configure their free software using our online help which typically requires a dedicated IT staff member. 

Please refer to how applications will be evaluated here.

Find Your Light Foundation

The work of FYL centers around 4 main pillars:

• Support
  • We provide direct support to organizations that provide an arts education to kids in under served communities.
• Education
  • Find Your Light is consistently working to improve the way arts education is integrated in the classroom through the organizations we fund and the content we provide.
• Outreach
  • Through our website, events, social media, e-newsletter, and more, Find Your Light is continually reaching more kids in need and spreading the importance of our mission.
• Advocacy
  • Under the leadership of Josh Groban, Find Your Light uses all resources available to push the importance of an arts education for our next generation.

Grant Information

The Find Your Light Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to experience a quality arts education. We believe that is best achieved through direct support of exceptional arts programs combined with education, advocacy and outreach. We focus support where the need is greatest to educate and inspire others to recognize arts education as a critical component of a young person’s development.

Find Your Light Foundation grants are awarded to arts education based programs in low-income areas across North America. Awards are issued in the Summer and Winter of each year, and generally range between $5,000 and $15,000.